Category Archives: The Gospel of John
Are we “Born of God”, or “Adopted”? It can’t be both.
Does the Bible say we are adopted by God? I am quite certain that the Bible does not say we are adopted by God. It does say that we are born of God. Many commentators seem awfully confused about this, but that’s because they are reading an English translation of a Greek document, written in a […]
Read MoreIn the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was gone…?
Lost in Translation So I was reading the New Testament in Tetum, the language of East Timor. I started to discover some interesting things that happen in translation. I thought I would blog about them, both to make notes, and to aid my fledgling comprehension of Tetum. The Tetum New Testament I am reading is […]
Read MoreA Parable to Explain Jesus’ Claim to be “Son of God”
The Kingdom of God is like a Furniture Maker… When people think about how Jesus’ can claim to be the “Son of God”, they most often think in terms of the Virgin Birth: Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy […]
John 20:19-31 – The Honoured Guests and Their Servant Leaders
Blessed are those who have not seen… Ever wonder why some people got a “bolt from the blue” encounter from God, and you didn’t? Jesus says that you are the one who is blessed, not them. How does that work…? I preached this message on Sunday, April 12 2015.
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 21
Chapter 21 This is the final part in a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In Chapter 21
Read MoreBiblical Election: It’s not a Democracy
Is God a Voter, and each of us a Politician? Since at least the Middle Ages, the Biblical concept called “Election” has been thought of in terms roughly equivalent to the democratic process. The democratic process uses the same word. But that’s not what it means in the Bible. In the Bible the word has […]
3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 20
Chapter 20 This is part 20 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In Chapter 20 we start to draw the major themes together in some very dramatic ways. This chapter has a lot of “seeing” in it, which finally points […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 19
Chapter 19 This is part 19 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In Chapter 19, Jesus is beaten, crucified, and buried. In a chapter which begins, “Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged”, has in the middle, “So they […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 18
Chapter 18 This is part 18 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In Chapter 18, Jesus is brought before religious leaders, before being handed over to Pilate, the Roman Governor. At every stage in the process, guess who is […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 17
Chapter 16 This is part 17 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. This whole chapter is Jesus’ prayer for the disciples. It continues to underscore and reinforce our theme of hearing and believing. It becomes the central understanding around […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 16
Chapter 16 This is part 16 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. Chapter 16 opens with the profound words, “I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling”, as if to underscore this theme of hearing and […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 15
Chapter 15 This is part 15 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In chapter 15, Jesus continues teaching his disciples in preparation for the Crucifixion. He talks about two things: The “True Vine”, and the fact that the world […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 14
Chapter 14 This is part 14 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In chapter 14, Jesus speaks with his disciples and prepares them for what is about to happen. The story is now converging on the moment at which […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 13
Chapter 13 This is part 13 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. This is the Last Supper. At first glance it may seem that our “seeing” and “hearing” theme is absent here, but in fact it does play a […]
3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 12
Chapter 12: This is part 12 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In this chapter, we see the effect that the resurrection of Lazarus had on the Jewish observers, and we find foreigners coming to enquire into the teachings […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 11
Chapter 11: The Resurrection and the Life This is part 11 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In this chapter, Jesus raises his friend Lazarus from the dead. This is a pivotal moment in the story of the Gospel of John, as […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 10
Chapter 10: The Voice of the Shepherd This is part 10 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. In this chapter, Jesus uses the metaphor of a shepherd talking to his sheep to illustrate his point. Much as been said over the […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 9
Chapter 9: To see This is part 9 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. Chapter 9 opens with Jesus restoring sight to a blind man, and the rest of the chapter is essentially expounding on the meaning of Jesus giving […]
Read More3 Words that will forever change the way you read the Gospel of John: Week 8
Chapter 8: The Adulteress, Light of the World, and Abraham’s Sons This is part 8 of a 21-part series which traces “seeing” and “hearing”, and looks at how they relate to “believing”, through the Gospel of John. This chapter is a series of encounters and conversations with Jesus. We are, among other things, to grasp that the words of […]
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Addiction: How to Help
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” – Jeremiah 17:9 Human beings seem universally to be able to imagine the loftiest moral ideals, but just as universally seem incapable of actually living according to them. This conundrum lies deep at the heart of the human condition. Are we required to just “live […]
- May 22, 2016
- / Category Commentary, Conversion, Fall (of mankind), Flesh, Forgiveness, Freedom, Holiness, Jeremiah 17, John 1, Marketplace Evangelism, Ministry, Original Sin, Romans 8, Sin, Sinner, Spirit, Total Depravity
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / No Comments.
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